Guide to the Benjamin F. Hayes papers, 1854, n.d.

Historical Note

Benjamin Francis Hayes was born in New Gloucester, Maine on March 28, 1830. He was educated at Bowdoin College, where he received a B.A. in 1855 and an M.A. in 1858. Following Bowdoin, he taught at the New Hampton Theological Seminary. Between 1859 and 1863, he was a pastor in Olneyville, Rhode Island. He served as principal of the Lapham Institute in Scituate, Rhode Island from 1863 until 1865, when he was appointed a professor at Bates College. At the Lapham Institute, he was succeeded by Thomas Angell, who later was also appointed a professor at Bates.

Hayes arrived at Bates during the College's formative years and remained for over forty years. He held a variety of teaching positions, including Professor of Modern Languages (1865-1868), Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature (1868-1869), Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy (1869-1875), Professor of Psychology and Exegetical Theology (1875-1894), and Professor of Apologetics and Pastoral Theology in the Cobb Divinity School (1894-1906). Hayes also severed as a trustee of Bates from 1863-1868. In 1871, he received his doctorate in divinity from Hillsdale College. He died at his home in Lewiston, Maine on February 26, 1906.

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Scope and Content Note

The collection is comprised of a journal and a bound volume of lecture notes. Lecture notes are fragmentary and their origin unclear. The journal was begun by Bates professor Hayes in the 1850s to record a wide range of interests. The journal is in alphabetical order by subject and deals with diverse subjects ranging from "Slavery" to "Phrenology." Hayes often records parts of famous speeches, stories and discussions he listened to, as well as notable quotations from newspapers and books that he had read. He mentions notable public figures, such as Henry Ward Beecher, throughout the journal.

The journal also includes several loose pieces of paper including one paper with a red piece of cloth pinned to it. This paper has a note claiming that "This is a piece of the flag which was raised over the mansion house in Alexandria by Col. E. E. Ellsworth just before his assassination." This relic is significant because Ellsworth is often claimed to be the first casualty of the Civil War.

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Organization and Arrangement

Itemized.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

The collection is the physical property of Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library. Bates College holds literary rights only for material created by College personnel working on official behalf of the College, or for material which was given to the College with such rights specifically assigned. For all other material, literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining permission from rights holders for publication or other purposes that exceed fair use.

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Related Material

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Index Terms

These records are indexed under the following headings in the Bates College Library catalog. Researchers wishing to find related materials should search the catalog under these index terms.

Personal Names:

Corporate Names:

Topical Subjects:

Geographic Subjects:

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Administrative Information

Acquisition and Custody Information

No provenance information available. Accession No.: xx-072.

Preferred Citation

Benjamin F. Hayes papers, Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College.

Processing Information

Processed by Kurt Kuss, Special Collections Librarian.

Additional description by Timothy Larson (Bates 2005), 2005.

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